Hate
by DistrictThirteenTribute
Summary: During an argument over missing curfew, Robin and Regina's teenage daughter responds with some harsh words, leaving Regina with some less than pleasant feelings.


**Nothing really happens in this story that would properly qualify it to be a T rating. However, a couple of things that Robin and Regina's daughter says are not the best examples of how children should talk to their parents, and I didn't want to give that idea to any younger readers. Also, I am not a parent so I apologize in advance if the parental nature doesn't seem accurate. That being said, enjoy!**

"Robin, wake up." I reached over and shook my husband's arm, waking him up. Robin had fallen asleep in our living room instead of in our bedroom upstairs as we were both awaiting our daughter's return home. Of course, we wouldn't need to be doing so if she been home on time. Now, nearly an hour and a half past her curfew, I heard the front door unlocking and opening, followed by what I suppose were meant to be quiet footsteps.

Robin woke and straightened up by the time our tardy teenager reached the living room. As soon as she did so, I turned on the lights with a wave of my hand, illuminating the previously dark room and startling her as I had planned.

"Holy sh-! Mom, dad you scared the crap out of me!"

"Not nearly as much as you worried it out of us. Do you have any idea what time it is? Where the hell have you been?!" I got up from my armchair, already expressing my rage. I saw Robin do the same.

"I- I was at Jasmine's."

"This late? Do you know how long ago your curfew was?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know. I was hoping you'd be asleep by now..." She drawled off.

"And you thought you could best us by sneaking back in?" Her father asked this time.

"Yes- I mean, no! That-that didn't come out the right way." She glanced back and forth between us and I knew she could tell how angry we were. "Look, I'm here, I'm safe, I'm fine. Can we just drop it?"

"No, Samantha, we cannot just 'drop it'." My husband replied, stealing her words at the end.

I noticed her roll her dark eyes, one of the many things she inherited from me.

"No phone call, no text. You show up an hour and a half late and you haven't even done as much as apologize for it!" I exclaimed.

"Okay!" Samantha threw a hand up exasperatedly. "I'm sorry, alright? I lost track of time, but I don't need to tell you where I am every second of the day. I'm not a child!"

Robin was opening his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.

"Well, with this behavior and attitude tonight, you are certainly acting like it."

"Well, mother, I'm a teenager. What do you expect? I have my own life, you know."

"And I don't have a problem with that. It's when you decide to live it so recklessly and irresponsibly that concerns us."

"It's not like I'm out there putting my life in danger or anything!" She gestured to the front door as her voice got louder. "I was at a friend's house. A friend that both of you have known for years!"

"Do _not_ raise your voice at us." Robin replied sternly.

"And how do we know you were really at Jasmine's? It wouldn't be the first time you lied about where you were and what you were doing." I spoke. Reluctantly, I thought back to a few months ago when Emma informed me that, while on duty, she caught Samantha and some schoolmates in the forest with cigarettes and alcohol on them, while she was supposedly working on a group project in the library.

"You wouldn't call her to find out." She tested me.

"Do you really think I won't?" I said with a laugh.

"Sure, just go ahead and embarrass me even more! Do you know how hard it is being the daughter of the mayor and the town sheriff?" I had to restrain from rolling my own eyes and prepared myself for my daughter's dramatics.

"No darling, we don't. Care to tell us?" Robin said, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"It sucks. Really, it does." She started, not catching on to her father's sarcasm. "I always feel like someone's keeping an eye on me and that whatever I say or do is going to be reported back to you two. And it probably is!"

"Well clearly not since we weren't aware that you'd arrive home way past your curfew until you did!" I answered back.

"Ugh." Samantha angrily exhaled, crossed her arms, and looked away from me. "I can't take it with you anymore." While she didn't specify whom she could no longer tolerate, it was obvious who she was talking about.

"That's enough, young lady. Go to your room. You're grounded for a month." Robin calmly demanded.

"Dad, that's not fair!" She turned to him and yelled.

"I'll decide what's fair. Not you. Now, go." He had the final word. Samantha huffed and turned to me one last time.

"Thanks. Why can't you just leave me alone and stay out of my life? I _hate_ you." Without hesitating, she turned and stormed her way upstairs to her bedroom with loud, unnecessary stomps.

It didn't take long to hear her bedroom door slam shut and when it did, I slid into the nearest armchair, feeling as if someone had ripped my own heart out and was very close to crushing it. Robin immediately knelt in front of me and took my hands in his. I knew he knew something was wrong. But since something like this never happened before, he couldn't tell what it was.

"Regina, love." He started as I exhaled. "What is it?"

"I-." I started off shakily, trying to catch my breath and form words. "I haven't heard anybody say that to me, that word, in a _very _long time." I turned to face my husband. "And I have never, not once, had it said by one of my children. I had avoided it with Henry and Roland and I hoped that I could do it with Samantha, but it looks like I couldn't. And I just- I didn't think it would affect me like this if it ever did happen.

Robin understood completely.

"You know she doesn't mean it. She's a teenager. She's going through a phase. She'll regret half that things she says.

"I'm too hard on her. I know I am." I continued. "Raising her, it's...different than it was with the boys."

"She's more rebellious, she is. Acts out more. Roland and Henry weren't like that. At least not to our knowledge. You are _not_ too hard on her. She needs to be kept an eye on. I know that she feels stifled, but this is the way it needs to be done. She's our daughter!"

"I- I just can't believe she said that to me. That word doesn't resonate with me very well."

"We all go through that time in our lives, Regina. One where we say and think things we don't mean. Surely, when you were her age, you thought that about your mother every once in a while."

"You didn't know my mother. She gave many people plenty of reasons to think that about her."

"But not you." Robin confirmed.

I sighed. "No. Not me. Never me." Robin smiled, knowing he got through to me.

"Sweetheart, you are an excellent mother. The love and care you show for your children is something I have never seen before. Snow White once told you that you love and feel things with your whole souland she is absolutely correct. Don't let the teenage nonsense and exaggerations of our daughter discourage you. She does _not _hate you. She really couldn't love you anymore if she tried. Just like you towards her."

"I guess it's just...difficult to know that I'm raising the kind of teenager that most parents dread. We've been lucky so far." I replied with a half smile, one that Robin completed.

"We have been. But she'll grow out of it. Hopefully soon, for all our sakes."

With a laugh, I replied.

"She says it's not easy having the mayor and the town sheriff as parents. I hope she realizes that it's no picnic having the child of the former evil queen and retired thief for a daughter." We laughed as I turned to look towards the staircase. "I should go talk to her."

"Okay. I'll straighten up down here." We stood up together and he kissed me before I headed upstairs.

A few seconds later, I stood outside my daughter's bedroom door. After tapping my knuckles on the door rapidly, I ducked my head in without waiting for a response.

"Can I come in?"

"It's your house." Samantha grumbled without looking at me. Ignoring the back talk, I walked into the room.

"Are you getting ready for bed?"

This time, she faced me before answering.

"Yes. Why, do I have a bedtime now?"

That did it.

"Samantha-!"

"What?" She answered boldly. Normally, I would have answered back with just as much fury, but since it was late and I wanted to avoid a screaming match, I took a deep breath to calm myself and continued.

"Are you even slightly aware of the worry you gave your father and I tonight? Do you even care?"

"Of course I care, mom. But, I mean, it's not the first time I've been late."

"Yes, but that was only by a few minutes and you called to let us know you were on your way home. You were over an hour and a half late tonight, Samantha. With no notice whatsoever." I reminded her as I sat on her bed.

She sighed as she came to sit next to me. "I know. And I am sorry." I could tell she genuinely meant it. "But I did really think you and dad would be asleep and that if I were quiet enough I could-." I held up a hand to stop her rambling.

"Alright, I understand. But this cannot happen again. Are we clear?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Good." I didn't get up and leave since I was waiting for her to apologize for what she said to me. However, after a few seconds of waiting, she began again.

"Also, I'm sorry for yelling at you. And dad. And for what I said to you before I came up here. You know, that-that word. That was uncalled for and inconsiderate and totally unnecessary. I'm sorry."

I nodded in acknowledgement, silently accepting her apology. I didn't want to say that it's okay or completely forgotten because it isn't.

"In the morning, you will apologize to your father. I'm sure he'll want to hear it from you." I informed her.

"Okay. Yeah." She pushed some of her black hair behind her ear and agreed.

"I get it, you know." I started again. "I was a teenage once too, many years ago. You want to do your own thing, be independent, more grown up." She didn't say anything, but I knew I was hitting the nail on the head. "But you need to understand that while you live in our house, under our care there will be rules and you need to follow them. It's the only way things are going to run smoothly around here." She smiled politely but had the face on that said she was tired of hearing this for the thousandth time. And what I said next certainly didn't help. "We just want what's best for you, Samantha." I ran a hand through her hair and cupped her face with it. "You know that right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." She smiled.

"Alright then." I involuntarily yawned. "It's late. Get some rest." I leaned in and kissed my daughter's forehead. "Love you. Sleep well." I pulled away, got up, and headed towards the door.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" I turned back around.

"I know that I should be receiving some sort of punishment for what happened tonight, but do you think there's any way you can convince dad to shorten the amount of time I'm grounded for?"

With a smile that reminded me of my evil queen days, I answered her.

"Darling, all I can say about that is that you should be glad your father set your punishment and not me. Otherwise, we may not be so amicable right now."

With a knowing and understanding look, she nodded.

"Got it. Good night."

"Good night Samantha." I spoke as I turned and shut the door with a click.

**Teenagers, huh? Under these conditions, I hope I did Regina and Robin justice. Parents, I'll let you be the judge of that. But if anyone would please leave a review and tell me what you thought, I'd appreciate it so, so much. Thank you for reading!**


End file.
